An NGO has formally lodged a complaint with the United Kingdom’s Scotland Yard concerning allegations of Israel’s utilization of starvation as a tactic of warfare and its targeting of Palestinian civilians within the Gaza Strip.

This submission represents the latest in a series of complaints regarding war crimes in Gaza brought to the attention of British authorities.

The London-based International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) filed the complaint with Scotland Yard’s War Crimes Team, alleging Israel’s suspected use of “starvation as a method of warfare” and deliberate infliction of significant suffering upon Palestinians.

These actions, according to the complaint, contravene both British and international law, including statutes such as the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court Act 2001. The use of starvation as a weapon is also stated to violate the Geneva Convention, a foundational aspect of contemporary international law.

The comprehensive 60-page complaint, supplemented by an additional 800 pages of evidence, includes testimonies gathered by ICJP’s investigative and legal teams. These teams, which include former British police detectives, have collected evidence to the standards upheld by British law enforcement agencies. The evidence encompasses firsthand accounts, expert reports, and testimonies from nineteen medical professionals who have operated within Gaza since the commencement of Israel’s recent offensive in October.

Tayab Ali, Director of ICJP, emphasized the various forms of complicity in such crimes, including political support, encouragement of criminal actions, arms supply, and, notably, the withholding of funds from humanitarian aid agencies vital for sustaining life in the region.

This submission notably expands upon a previous complaint filed by ICJP in January, which implicated four British government ministers in alleged complicity and criminal responsibility for Israeli war crimes. The updated complaint further adds a fifth senior government minister to the list of alleged perpetrators.

Given the illegal nature of these war crimes under British law and their potential for prosecution within the UK, Scotland Yard’s War Crimes Investigation Team will reportedly assess the complaints with a view toward determining whether to initiate a formal criminal investigation. Should this proceed, it could involve questioning, arrest, and prosecution of both the alleged perpetrators and those complicit in the crimes.